Indiana Pacers: Re-grading the Paul George trade, 2.5 years later

It’s been over 2.5 years since the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George. Let’s take a look back at the return and how the team fared.

The Indiana Pacers future would rest heavily on the outcome of the Paul George trade that was completed in July 2017.

As a small-market team, the best thing that can happen to you is landing a star player in the NBA Draft. With fewer geographical and cultural appeals than bigger cities, oftentimes trades and the draft are the most reliable ways of landing a player that can lead you to postseason success. Free agency is not easy for small market teams.

On the contrary, the worst thing that can happen for a small market team is having a star player that you drafted, groomed, and saw success with force his way out of your franchise and request a trade.

That’s exactly what happened to the Pacers with Paul George, and that trend has continued through the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis in recent years on other teams.

While it is truly not great to see your star player go, here’s the upside — If you can handle the trade properly, there is a good chance you can launch your team into the next era of success with it.

On the flip side, if the trade you make falls flat on its face it could be a double whammy. You lose your star and you hinder the team’s future success. It can send a franchise into a tailspin.

Indiana had drafted George and seen him grow into a postseason star. They stood by him during his gruesome injury and waited for him to recover. Then, he requested a trade.

Star player trade requests are a divisive topic. Some view them as respectful, allowing small market teams to gain assets for a player who is planning on leaving for nothing in free agency. Others view them as a breach of a contract — you signed to play for this team, you should play competitively until that contract is up.

We won’t debate one side or the other here, given that the trade is far in the past.

Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said that the trade request from George felt like a gut punch. Pacers fans can relate.

"“It couldn’t have come at a worse time for me,” Pritchard said. “Had we known this a while ago we could have been more prepared. And then the way it got out…we struggled with that.”"

Here’s what the Pacers ended up securing in return for Paul George:

At the time, questions were warranted on the return.

Oladipo had just been traded from the Magic to the Thunder and had taken a step back in all of his per game stats despite an increase in minutes. Sabonis had just completed his rookie season and the potential was clear, but you always question the likelihood that a player will reach that projected potential.

Going back to the perspective we had on these players when the trade was made, it feels a bit low for a player of George’s caliber. These days, stockpiling players and draft picks is often the price for requested trades like this.

Let’s take a look at the trade the Clippers made this summer with the Thunder to secure George, for instance:

The picks OKC received were:

• 2021 1st round draft pick (Miami)
• 2022 1st round draft pick (LAC)
• 2023 1st round draft pick (Miami, lottery protected)
• 2023 1st round draft pick swap rights
• 2024 1st round draft pick (LAC)
• 2025 1st round draft pick swap rights
• 2026 1st round draft pick (LAC)

That’s a load of draft picks for the Thunder, and ultimate flexibility for the front office to craft its new era. They can use all of those picks as straight-up selections or package them in trades to reinforce their future and bring in proven talent that complements the likes of a great young player in SGA.

Stacking this up to the Pacers trade, the Thunder clearly got more. It’s important to remember two things, though.

One, the Thunder had the advantage of George’s trade request remaining private, and the Clippers were forced into making this trade no matter the cost because free agent Kawhi Leonard wanted to team up with George as a condition of him signing with the team.

The Thunder had advantages the Pacers didn’t here.

Looking at how the Paul George trade pieces have panned out for Indiana Pacers

In Oladipo’s first season with the Pacers, he went on to win the Most Improved Player Award with averages of 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-leading 2.3 steals per game, securing his first All-Star nod.

He would return the following season with similar numbers and an All-Star bid before going down with a gruesome quad injury, and just returned from that injury this year.

Oladipo was a solid player prior to coming to Indiana, but his game crystalized into All-Star level play once he arrived almost immediately.

Sabonis came in as a sophomore looking to continue making his way in this league. He was given fewer starts with Indiana than he was in OKC, but established himself in a larger way with improved averages in his second season.

In the third year of his career, second with Indiana, he would firmly put himself in a position as a key piece of the team’s future, leading to Indiana sliding him into the starting lineup this season after giving him a contract extension to secure him as a piece to build around for years to come.

Sabonis would take advantage of that starting opportunity, putting up his best per-game averages (18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists) and getting his first All-Star selection.

Though we have yet to see the two play together as starters for very long, both have grown to be substantial pieces of the Pacers long-term plans. While Oladipo will be a free agent after next season, the signs of getting him to re-sign seem good overall.

There is a potential that these two grow to be one of the most talented duos in the NBA if all goes right.

The grade is held back from an A because of the lack of draft assets gained in this trade, something that could have given the Pacers more diverse options moving forward.

" >

PAUL GEORGE TRADE

B+

The Pacers were faced with the task of securing something that resembled value in the face of a public trade request from a star player. Given the circumstances, securing two players that have both established themselves as necessary components to the team’s success and that have helped sustain the team since George’s departure is a win.

The grade is held back from an A because of the lack of draft assets gained in this trade, something that could have given the Pacers more diverse options moving forward.